Importation of cargo is important for a nation's economy, along with the welfare and security of its people and facilities. Cargo inspection is one aspect of security where the cargo is inspected for compliance with the nation's standards. The presence of contraband can be established during inspection of a container and its cargo.
The voluminous amount of containers passing into a nation from its ports makes impractical the opening and physical inspection of every container. For example, about only 5% of cargo entering a country gets selected for examination. Conventional sampling approach with on-site checking is insufficient to adequately handle the volume of cargo being imported.
Non-intrusive inspection techniques are available, but these conventional systems do not solve the root problem of still needing on-site, manual inspection of cargo, which is very costly and not very accurate. Conventional systems can utilize a scanning system (e.g., X-ray) that eliminate the need to open each container. These systems do not obviate the need for the manual sampling inspection.
Conventional security apparatus can only display images. The displayed images are dependent on the human manpower to analyze the image for contraband. The recordation of the inspection currently requires individual customs officers to observe and estimate goods. These shortcomings lead to a high cost and waste of human resource.
Accordingly, a need exists for a more accurate cargo inspection apparatus and process through which contraband can more accurately be detected with minimal false alarms.